A Nanyuki train that was bound for Nairobi on Sunday caught fire in Murang’a County. The incident, which ignited debate on the viability of old trains and the Nairobi-Nanyuki railway line occurred on Sunday morning.
The train is said to have been transporting petroleum goods. The fire incident occurred just months after a commuter train headed to Nairobi from Nanyuki stalled at Ruthagati with more than 1,500 passengers on board. This train stalling incident that occurred in January 2021 left passengers stranded for five and a half hours.
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The cabin crew reportedly escaped unhurt and were able to put out the fire before it spread to other ‘wagons’, in efforts that were backed up by firefighters from Murang’a.
Fire erupts in a train headed to Nairobi from Nanyuki at Kabuta village in Kiharu. pic.twitter.com/R1XjiKoROt
— Radio Citizen (@RadioCitizenFM) June 6, 2021
Over the past few months, the government has been rehabilitating the old railway line in a move that has seen property sitting near it demolished. Questions have also been raised on whether the railway is economically viable in today’s fast-paced economy.
The government is also rehabilitating a railway line to connect the SGR with the ole metre gauge railway line to Kisumu. This follows the collapse of the SGR multi-billion project in Naivasha.